Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Droopy eye-lid.
These may include a physical examination or other medical tests.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you had the droopy eyelid?
Why: to determine if acute or chronic.
- Is the problem with an ectropion (a rolling outward of the margin of the lower eyelid)?
Why: this occurs in the older population and in those with a facial nerve (7th cranial nerve) palsy. It is associated with irritation of the eye and eye watering.
- Is the problem with ptosis ( a drooping of the upper eyelid)?
Why: may be due to several different causes including congenital (absent nerve to the muscle that elevates the upper eyelid); mechanical (e.g. swelling , cholesterol deposit or tumor of the upper eyelid); muscular (e.g. muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis) or nerve ( e.g. 3rd nerve palsy, Horner's syndrome).
- Is the droopy eyelid intermittent?
Why: would suggest myasthenia gravis, migraine and transient ischemic attacks.
- Is the droopy eyelid partial or complete?
Why: If partial it would suggest Horner's syndrome (especially if there was also a constricted pupil), myotonic dystrophy, myasthenia gravis and progressive muscular atrophy.
- Alcohol history?
Why: can help determine risk of Wernicke's encephalopathy.
Questions your doctor may ask about related symptoms:
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition. These may include:
- Headache and/or double vision?
Why: may suggest migraine, brain tumor or brain aneurysm.
- Symptoms of 3rd nerve palsy?
Why: e.g. unilateral complete droopy eyelid, eye deviated down and out, dilated pupil. Causes of a 3rd nerve palsy include brain stem stroke, brain stem tumor, diabetes, migraine, nasopharyngeal cancer.
- Symptoms of Horner's syndrome?
Why: e.g. unilateral partial droopy eyelid, constricted pupil, lack of sweating on the same side of the face. Horner's syndrome has many causes including lung cancer, thyroid cancer, cervical spinal cord tumor, carotid artery aneurysm, cluster headache, brain stem stroke or brain stem tumor.
- Symptoms of Myasthenia gravis?
Why: e.g. easy muscle fatigability especially eyelids, neck, shoulders, lower legs and trunk, droopy eyelids, double vision, weak voice.
» Next page: Types of Droopy eye-lid
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